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1. Background
The Sustainable Fisheries Management Project SFMP is a five-year initiative 2014 -2019 with the goal of rebuilding targeted marine fish stocks that have seen major declines in
landings over the last decade, particularly the small pelagic fisheries that are important for food security and are the mainstay of the small-scale fishing sector. The Coastal Resources
Center URI-CRC at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography leads a consortium of partners tasked with an integrated suite of activities including:
a. Improved legal enabling conditions for implementing co-management use rights,
capacity and effort-reduction strategies.
b. Improved information systems and science-informed decision-making
c. Increased constituencies that provides the political will and public support necessary
to make the hard choices and changed behavior needed to rebuild Ghana’s marine fisheries sector, feeding into applied management initiatives for targeted fisheries
ecosystems.
The SFMP also aims at building the capacity of the Regional Coordinating Councils RCC and District Assemblies DAs in the CR and Western Region WR to improve marine
fisheries spatial planning and mainstream the development needs of climate- and economically vulnerable fishing communities into their overall development plans, and to
provide communities with diversified livelihoods, including ways to obtain greater profitability from fisheries value chains. Particular emphasis is placed on more efficient and
profitable fish smokers that have potential for significant scale-up. This element places a strong focus on women and youth and utilizes local partners whose missions address the
needs of these target groups.
During the development of the SFMP proposal, focus group discussions were held in Moree and other communities in CR. Participants in the discussion revealed that CLaT in fisheries
was a very prevalent issue. They revealed that children are reportedly sent to the Volta Lake region to engage in dangerous fishing activities at a very tender age, and are hardly enrolled
in school. These children under age 18 engage in hazardous fisheries work.
The Fisheries Commission and the Department of Social Welfare also highlighted the problem of illegal child labor and trafficking in fishing in the region as a rather precarious
issue that needs addressing to safeguard the developmental potentials of children, Ghana’s fisheries, promote good governance and socio-economic advancement of inhabitants within
the coastal belt of Ghana, especially in the Central Region.
In August 2013, the United Nations challenged Ghanaian authorities to focus on addressing the root causes of slavery and child labor in the country. This was part of recommendations
made by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Gulnara Shahinian, following her visit to Ghana. She had observed that children, some as young as four years,
continue to be sent on fishing expeditions to perform some of the most dangerous work. They are deprived of education and unpaid. She blamed the persistence of the practice on poverty,
2 regional disparities, urging that the country must begin to focus on education and health
delivery to its citizenry.
These revelations informed and contributed to the design of the CLaT component for the SFMP.
Objective of the CLaT Intervention
The main objective of the five-year SFMP CLaT intervention is to contribute to prevention of CLaT practices in communities in the CR through an evidenced-based information gathering
and the implementation of behavior change communication and livelihood interventions that target adult caretakers parents, guardians, etc. who are the key actors within CLaT.
The SFMP Focus on CLaT
The focus of SFMP in CLaT for the 5-year period is to conduct comprehensive assessment of the problem in the CR by identifying communities and households most susceptible to such
practices, this includes the family heads and adult population engaged in CLaT. The key task is to find out the root drivers of the problem, such as why adults use child labor, or why
adults parents, guardians, caretakers, etc. allow children under their care to be trafficked, etc.
As detailed in the SFMP work plan for Year 1, the process for the CLaT intervention would involve:
1. A comprehensive literature review of the problem in Ghana,
2. Participatory Rapid Appraisal PRA of the issues involving
a Scoping visit to understand the intensity of CLaT issues in CR and identify
communities, households and actors involved in the CLaT issues, or factors contributing to the issues in the sourced communities in CR.
b Surveys to identify vulnerable households susceptible to these practices and root
causes for such. c
Identify and mobilize network of community anti-CLaT advocates, including community champions and allies in key communities in the CR for appropriate
action.
3. Develop a behavior change communications initiative with information from the PRA
with the intention to communicate extensively with community residents so that CLaT practices become socially unacceptable.
4. Develop and implement livelihood activities that will target the vulnerable households
especially the adult caretakers most likely to engage in such practices on condition that they would not engage in CLaT.
To support this process, a comprehensive Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats SWOT analysis of regulatory agencies of stakeholder institutions is being conducted by
SNV to unravel the institutional weaknesses and challenges. This will inform an institutional strengthening program e.g. for the social welfare agencies, the Department of Labor and
3 District authorities to bring social services more forcefully to bear in the identified sourced
communities. SFMP also will engage the National Steering Committee on Child Labor in the design and roll out of the communications campaign; whilst exploring avenues to introduce
other relevant services like reproductive health education and access to family planning services and commodities to vulnerable households.
Methodology and Process for the Survey
The team implemented PRA surveys to measure and define CLaT issues in the CR. The process involved scoping visits and household surveys in local communities.
Fig 1.2: Map of Central Region Right and Map of Ghana left a.
Scoping Visits
Scoping visits were carried out to help understand the intensity of CLaT issues in CR and identify communities, households, and actors involved in the CLaT issues or
contributing to the issues in the sourced communities in the CR.
Scoping visits were made to 10 communities, and informal conversations were held with the key informants identified in those communities. The “gossip question
approach’’ was used during the conversation, e.g., “have you heard people talking about CLaT in this community” and “could you share with us households or
communities that are perceived to be engaged in CLaT?” These questions brought out a a great deal of information from the conversations as the interviewees shared
“hearsay” stories. This approach was very useful to overcome interviewees’ hesitation and shyness associated with CLaT surveys.
In all, 88 key informants were interviewed during the scoping visits they included but not limited to; Local Chiefs, Queen mothers, women leaders, Chief Fishermen, female
fishmongers, fisher folks leaders, Community Champions, opinion leaders, Assembly members, Unit Committee members, teachers, social workers, etc. About 38 of the
4 key informants 33 interviewed were female and 55 62 were male. The table
below gives the summaries of specific stakeholders interviewed.
Stakeholders key informants Interviewed Number of
people interviewed
No of Male
No of Female
Traditional Leaders local chiefs Queen Mothers 12
8 4
Fisher folks Leaders Chief Fishermen Konkohene 16
9 7
Assembly Members Unit Committee Members 19
13 6
Opinion Leaders and Community Champions 27
16 11
Religious Leaders 5
4 1
Social Workers and Civil Servants 9
5 4
Total 88
55 33
Table 1: Number of stakeholder key informants interviewed in the scoping exercise b.
Household Survey Household surveys were conducted in 36 identified coastal communities in the CR,
and 762 recommended households were interviewed. Approximately 21 interviews were conducted for each of the communities.
Fig 1.3: Map of Central Region showing the Districts and Coastal Areas
The District and specific communities covered by the household survey are as follows: •
Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem District: Abrobiano, British-Komenda, Dutch- Komenda, Ampenyi, Brenu-Akyinim, Elmina-Bantuma, Elmina-Tetre-Kesim,
Elmina-Eniaye, Elmina-Ayisa.
5 •
Cape Coast Municipal: Ewim, Ntsin, Brofuyedur, Anaafo, Abrofo-Mpoano
•
Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District: Ekon, Moree.
•
Mfantsiman District: Biriwa, Anomabo, Egyaa I, Egya II, Egyaa III, Abandze, Koromantse, Saltpond-Pebi, Saltpond-Nyinee.
•
Ekumfi District: Ekumfi-Narkwa, Ekumfi-Immuna, Aakraa, Eku-Mpoano, Ekumfi-Otuam
•
Gomoa-West District: Apam, Mumford, Gomoa-Dago.
•
Efutu Municipal: Winneba
•
Awutu-Senya East Municipal: Senya-Beraku
•
Gomoa-East: Gomoa Fetteh
The Approach for the Household Survey
The approach for the household survey was a purposive sample based on recommendations of key informants interviewed during the scoping visits. During the
household surveys, interviewees also suggested others to be interviewed. This approached was adopted in order to try to have a high proportion of households
sampled that have been engaged in child labor and trafficking. A random sample in the communities would not have given us a large number of CLaT households and
interviewing this target population was the intention.
The processes for the household survey included questionnaire development, training and orientation of field teams, pretesting of questionnaire and household interviews.
i. Questionnaire
